TUBERCULAR ETIOLOGY AS A CAUSE OF UVEITIS: A STUDY IN GMC JAMMU

Dr. Surbhi Gupta*

ABSTRACT

Background: Tuberculous uveitis is a vision-threatening disease, eventually leading to blindness in absence of timely diagnosis and treatment. It is usually not associated with clinical evidence of pulmonary tuberculosis. There is absence of definitive diagnostic guidelines in India. The aim of this study was to illustrate clinical features of various types of tubercular uveitis and to find their effect on visual acuity and its management. Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out in GMC Jammu, between September 2016 to February 2017, on 80 patients presenting to Uvea and Retina services. A detailed history regarding the symptoms - duration, course and recurrence, contact history and previous history of any form of tuberculosis treated or untreated with anti-tubercular therapy was noted. Results: Median was found to be38 years, with 44 males and 36 females. The incidence of ocular tuberculosis was higher in patients with exposure to or contact with tubercular patients 51(63.75%), while only 10(12.50%) patients had miliary tuberculosis. The most common complaint was defective vision (59%) followed by floaters in 19% of the patients. Posterior uveitis was seen in 49%, anterior uveitis in 29% followed by intermediate uveitis in 16% and panuveitis in 6% of cases. The mean (logMAR) at initially was 0.80, which improved to 0.13 at 16th week of follow-up. Conclusion: Poor socio-economic conditions, overcrowding, illiteracy and a background of contact of TB, can be sufficient for a suspicion of tuberculous etiology among patients.

Keywords: Ocular Tuberculosis, Uveitis, Visual Acuity, LogMAR Scale.